Women's Basketball Preps for USCAA Nationals Closing Out Regular Season Against Division I NJIT

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Fresh off their Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) championship victory, the St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) women's basketball team (17-10) will wrap up their regular season as they head to Newark for a tough task in NCAA Division I opponent NJIT on Friday night. Tip time is at 7:00 p.m.

Game Information

Opponent: New Jersey Institute of Technology (11-16)
Date/Time: Friday, February 27th • 7:00 p.m.


Location: Newark, N.J.
Arena: Fleisher Athletic Center

Coverage: Live Stats | Video

Quick Links

St. Joseph's (Bklyn): Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Misc. Stats
NJIT: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

• This is the fifth matchup in series history, the Highlanders holding a 3-1 series advantage between 1995 to 1997 when NJIT was still a Division III member.
• The Lady Bears own the last meeting between the two squads with a narrow, 53-52 victory in Newark on February 17, 1997.
• The game against NJIT will be the first against a Division I opponent in Coach Carbone's 18-year tenure.
• This test will help the Lady Bears prepare for the USCAA National Championships next week as they enter as the No. 8 seed and draw the No. 1 seed and defending national champions Concordia College (AL).
• In the two games of the HVIAC tournament, Samantha Retas eclipsed both 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds en route to Tournament MVP honors and the HVIAC title, the second in three years for the Lady Bears.
• Retas, along with Taylor Raccuglia and Destiny Marino were all named to the HVIAC All-Conference Team. In addition, head coach Frank P. Carbone was tabbed conference Co-Head Coach of the Year and Marino earned Co-Rookie of the Year accolades.
• The Highlanders are looking to grab their second straight win on the season, coming off a 70-43 win over Maryland Eastern Shore.
• Other notable teams NJIT has faced this season include No. 25-ranked Seton Hall, Penn, St. John's, Clemson, and Harvard.
• Leah Horton leads NJIT in both points per game and rebounds per game. She averages 10.1 points and 6.8 boards per contest this season.
• Alyssa Albanese became the Highlanders' all-time Division I leader in steals and assists in their last win over Maryland Eastern Shore.

Series History

This is the fifth matchup in series history with the Highlanders holding a 3-1 series advantage between 1995 to 1997 when NJIT was still a Division III member.

Last Meeting

Both teams competed in the Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the 1996-97 season and the Lady Bears split that season series 1-1, taking the last meeting ever between the squads, 53-52, on February 17, 1997.

Lady Bears Going Dancing, Qualify for Ninth USCAA National Championship

Fresh off winning the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, St. Joseph's has received the No. 8 seed to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships. The Lady Bears will face No. 1 seed and defending national champion Concordia College (AL) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 4 at 10 a.m. in Uniontown, Pa. on the campus of Penn State Fayette.

It will be the Lady Bears second straight USCAA Nationals appearance and ninth appearance all-time. In last year's tournament the Lady Bears entered as the No. 7 seed falling to Ave Maria University in the opening round before closing out the season with a 67-65 victory over University of Maine-Fort Kent in the consolation game. 

The Lady Bear Facts

Senior Samantha Retas leads three Lady Bears in double figures with 13.4 points per game and is second in the HVIAC with 12.7 boards per contest and third shooting 41.5% from the field. With her 14 double-doubles, the senior ranked second in the conference. She tallied a season-best 28 points along with 10 rebounds and five blocks in the HVIAC Finals to clinch the title for the team. With an average of 24.0 points and 15.0 rebounds, she was named HVIAC Tournament MVP.

Her senior counterpart Taylor Raccuglia averaged 13.0 points (No. 10 in the HVIAC) and 7.7 rebounds per game (No. 9 in HVIAC) along with 3.0 assists (No. 5 in HVIAC) and a conference-best 2.5 blocks per game. She also connected on 41.3 percent of her shots, which was fourth in the HVIAC.

HVIAC Co-Rookie of the Year Destiny Marino averaged 12.2 points per game in conference play for the Lady Bears. The four-time HVIAC Rookie of the Week ranked third on the team in scoring, logging double figure scoring in a team-high 20 games. She also was ranked first shooting 43.8% from the field and second in the conference with 4.1 assists per contest.

Lady Bears Last Time Out

The No. 2 St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) women's basketball team rode a second-half flurry as they defeated No. 1 Albany Pharmacy, 74-63, to capture the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) title Sunday night at the Albert M. White Gymnasium in Albany.

Samantha Retas recorded her 14th double-double on the season, finishing with a game and season-high 28 points (17 in the second half), 10 boards and five blocks. Taylor Raccuglia also tallied a double-double of her own, grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds along with 16 points and three assists. Marino tallied 13 points along with eight rebounds and three assists.

Scouting the Highlanders

NJIT celebrates Senior Night and looks to close out their season on a strong note, having won three of their last four games. The Highlanders are paced by sophomore forward Leah Horton, who leads the team with 10.1 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Second on the team is guard Alyssa Albanese who nets 9.8 points per contest. The senior recently made school history in two statistical categories in their last win. She became the school's Division I leader with 343 career assists, and also increased her career mark to 132 steals to become the all-time Division I leader in steals.

Center Nicole Maticka averages 7.8 points per game, which ranks third on the team. She is also a presence defending the basket, placing in the NCAA Division I top 30 with 2.48 blocks per game.

NJIT Last Time Out

In their last game, the Highlanders led wire-to-wire as they defeated Maryland Eastern Shore at home, 70-43, Tuesday night.

Leah Horton was the game's leading scorer with 12 points and eight rebounds in the win. Seniors Nicole Maticka and Alyssa Albanese each poured in 11 points. Maticka also had a game-high three blocks and three rebounds. Albanese added a team-high seven assists and four boards.